We have arrived at our final episode as the 'Autism Through Cinema' podcast.  This is also our 50th episode, so all six of the regular hosts have gathered to look back on the work we have done over the past few years. Each host picks a favourite episode and offers their thoughts, before we join back together to reflect on the medium of podcasting as an academic pursuit. Here are the direct links to the episodes discussed by each host: Georgia: Punch-Drunk Love Ethan: Cat People Janet: Orlando Alex: Asylum Lillian: Amelie David: Cars We are hopeful that in some regard some of us may well b ..read more

A huge welcome today to our final special guest, the wonderful Alex Gregson. Alex is Head of Audio at 344 Audio, and has led on the edits of the last eight episodes of our podcast, for which we are eternal grateful. He is newly diagnosed as autistic and reflects very thoughtfully on how his autism has contributed positively to his career as a sound engineer and audio editor. For our analysis, Alex brings along Alejandro González Iñárritu's Academy Award winning 2015 revenge thriller The Revenant, and asks David and Lillian to pay particular attention to the rich soundscape of the film. We disc ..read more

In this rather exclusive episode, Alex, Ethan, & David take a look at an as yet unreleased film called 'Voice', directed by Norwegian director Ana Hjort Guttu. A documentary maker from Norwegian TV meets resistance when she contacts a group of filmmaking activists to tell a story that is not her own. 'Voice' is a fascinating look at documentary ethics which gives us a springboard to talk about the issues we might need to consider when the subjects of our non-fiction films are not from our own neurotype. Here's the IMDB entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27035082/  We soon move to tal ..read more

Part two of our special double episode about the wondrous Doctor Who. Harry Draper is still with us, and we spend some time talking through his brilliant contribution to the world of Who audio stories, his TARDIS-focused tale 'The Last Day at Work', which is available here: https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-short-trips-the-last-day-at-work-1917 We also engage in a fascinating discussion about the joys and perils of autistic tendencies towards extreme fandom, such as the collecting of merchandise, fan socialising, and the deep knowledge of lore. We question to what extent med ..read more

We are officially bigger on the inside... Turns out we don't just cover 'cinema', we may occasionally warp our way onto the TV screen if we feel sufficiently compelled. And what could be more compelling than The Timelord themselves?  It's Doctor Who time (timey-wimey?). Specifically, we focus our sonic screwdrivers onto the second serial of the fourth series of classic Who: 'The Tenth Planet'. This serial is notable for two reasons: the first appearance of the now iconic Cybermen, and the first time the Doctor dies and regenerates. We are joined by extraordinary special guest, the complet ..read more

Here at Autism Through Cinema we've always been interested in how film stretches beyond the traditional cinematic space, and how cinema appears in other contexts. With this in mind, Lillian asked Georgia and Janet to indulge in a trip to TATE Britain to take in the multi-screen spectacle of 'What Freedom is to Me', a retrospective of the work of New Queer filmmaker Isaac Julien. The trio reflect on the freedoms that are afforded to neurodivergent viewers when not confined by the temporal and spatial limits of the cinema auditorium, as well as the social conventions inscribed in those spaces. J ..read more

On the 9th September 2023 the ATC podcast team will be appearing live at The Garden Cinema in Covent Garden, London. There will be a screening of Celine Song’s critically acclaimed debut film ‘Past Lives’ at 14:50 followed by a panel discussion & Q&A with Lillian, Georgia, Ethan and David. The screening will be a relaxed screening, and tickets can be purchased here: https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/relaxed-screening-past-lives/ Read more about 'Past Lives' in this 5-star review: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/sep/06/past-lives-review-a-must-see-story-of-lost-loves-childhoo ..read more

An episode which has been a long time coming, Georgia, David and Lillian finally tackle the cult classic cyberpunk sci-fi of Ridley Scott's groundbreaking Blade Runner. There is much to discuss from this 'parable of neurodiversity' (as David puts it), including how the Voight-Kampff test of the film mirrors the real-life 'empathy' tests of autism diagnoses, and how the tag-line 'more human than human' relates to language used to describe (and dehumanise) autistic people. The gang also consider the status of the cyborg 'replicants' as potential neurodivergent activists, while a special foc ..read more

With content warnings about discussions around cannibalism, abuse, and eating disorders, Georgia, Janet and Lillian return to tackle the meaty subject of female body horror via Julia Ducournau's grisly debut, Raw. The trio reflect on associations between autism and eating, with particular focus on the processes and difficulties around misophonia, before navigating the tricky relationship of cannibalism and sexuality. There are frank discussions about how norms are undermined in the film, and how acts of masking and gender performance can resonate with autistic female experience. Georgia offers ..read more

ATC phone home, ATC phone home...! We're back among the aliens and the spaceships today as we tackle Steven Spielberg's tear-jerking classic. We're also incredibly delighted to welcome yet another wonderful special guest, the brilliant Sam Chown-Ahern! Sam is a filmmaker, artist, collaborator, and member of the Neurocultures Collective, who are currently working with Autism Through Cinema in the creation of an experimental feature film. Sam also presented a wonderfully bizarre re-edit of a scene from ET at the Autism Through Cinema conference in January 2023, and we discuss her motivations beh ..read more